Verstappen wins gripping wet-dry race in Canada

Red Bull’s Max Verstappen won a gripping wet-dry Canadian Grand Prix that developed into a five-car battle for the lead over the final 10 laps.

Verstappen expertly managed a restart after a safety-car period with 11 laps to go to bolt into a decisive lead while McLaren’s Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri fought with the Mercedes of Lewis Hamilton and George Russell behind him.

Verstappen pulled out nearly two seconds in one lap and controlled the race to the end from there.

Norris had twice led the race earlier on as conditions fluctuated between wet and dry but lost it each time by stopping a lap later than Verstappen.

And in the closing laps he could not do anything about the world champion when it mattered and had to settle for second.

Russell passed Hamilton with three laps to go to take the final podium place but may be ruing a couple of key errors during a race that he started from his first pole position for nearly two years.

Hamilton took fourth place ahead of Piastri with the Aston Martin of Fernando Alonso sixth.

More to follow